this is bbc news. our latest headlines: sir roger bannister, the first athlete to run a mile in underfour minutes, has died at the age of 88. he had been suffering from parkinson's disease. theresa may urges the eu to get on with agreeing what she calls her "ambitious but practical" vision for relations after brexit. we've set out what we want, we've set out where we think we can have this ambitious relationship that's good for both sides — let's get on with it work continues to clear snow from roads and railways lines after severe disruption. meanwhile, warnings of flooding as strong winds batter the coasts. president trump threatens to increase trade tariffs on cars imported to the united states from europe. eu leaders have vowed to retaliate in kind. now on bbc news, a special edition of the travel show, as christa larwood takes a musical journey though norway. this week on the travel show, i'm in norway, because i've heard

of what must be one of the world's most unique music festivals, where the stage and the instruments are made of ice. so, i am taking the chance to head off from oslo to bergen on a musical journey on one of the world's most spectacular railways. i'm going to look deep into norway's roots, trying to get a sense of how this country's landscapes, culture and society are brought to life by its music. but first, i start my trip in norway's capital of oslo. and on the oslo waterfront, a transformation has been taking place. a big part of that was this spectacular building, the oslo opera house.

it celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, and is a symbol of the city's commitment to the arts. so it is a perfect place to hear some traditional norwegian goat horn. playing horn. that is so good! thank you! it is amazing that such a variety of sounds come out of such a simple instrument. yes, it is quite simple, as you see. it is a bone, and it is a goat's horn, ooh, at the wrong way — this way. actually, it was not made for making music. the shepherds had it to keep the wolves and bears away. so this was a warning. this is not pretty music! yes, not many melodies are written down, as we know, but some. would you say there is something

unique running through norwegian music and where does that come from? nature gives me a lot of power and a lot of inspiration to make music. we are quite isolated. still, there are people who do this, try to make their own voice. so i am about to head off through the country to bergen, listening to music along the way. it is there something i should be listening out for? is there something i should be paying attention to? try to find some folk music, some singers and also go to small jazz clubs. look for the small spots. there are people working all over the place. so now i have my mission, there is a train to catch. joining me for the first

part of my trip isjan, a train fanatic and a man who wrote a book on the bergensbanen railway line. why did you write this big long book all about this railway? the bergensbanen is iconic in norway and in europe, ithink. many people know the name and know what they will see when the come here. along its 308 miles, the train navigates challenging but stunning terrain. at its peak of over 1200 metres, it is one europe's highest railways, before it descends steeply into norway's second city of bergen. its elemental landscape posed a huge challenge, and an engineering triumph for those working on the railway during its construction, between 1894 and 1909, with about 20 people thought to have died in the process. at a time when norway's independence was always on the horizon, the construction of the bergensbanen

was more than an added convenience for travellers. this line connected the east and the western part of norway. before that, people had to go around and take boats by the sea, or small horse roads through the mountains. so the trains were opening up norway. the construction work was started in 1898, and at that time, we were administrated by sweden, and they did not like this at all, because they thought it could be used for military purpose. so this is a sign of norwegian strength, that maybe was not approved of? you could say that. so in a way, this is a symbol for the founding of the norwegian nation.

yes. all this makes it special. you can't find this in other lines. this is what norway is. as jan reaches his stop, i settle in. three and a half hours from oslo, i pull into this town. but it is not my destination. for the last 13 years, this town has hosted the ice music festival. but on i go upwards, almost 500 metres higher, to the new home of the festival in finse. you really feel and see it in the air. it is cold here. you really feel and see it in the air.

it is cold here. and it is this cold, the icy conditions and the elevation, that drew polar explorers like shackleton to train here before going on their expeditions. word is it will reach a low of —23 celsius tonight. so i should rug up. what makes this festival extra special is that the instruments are actually made on the day, from nearby ice. among the line—up this year is everything from ice horns to ice drums and ice didgeridoos. the concert is only hours away, and here you are

making the instruments. this has to be an unusual thing for a musician. for me, it is not. for most musicians it is. good sounding ice is the most difficult part. you cannotjust go to your freezer. you cannot go to the next lake. ice is like wine — there are good years and bad years. so why ice? what inspired this festival? it is nearly 20 years since the first time i tried ice. and i found the sound so fantastically beautiful. with this water, you can drink it after the concert. or what we can do is give it back to nature, where it belongs, and also, the ice reminds me that we need to treat ice so gentle not to break it — it is like how we should treat nature.

why is this happening in norway, in particular, aside from all the ice? one of the reasons we can do this in norway is that we are very lucky that we have for many years had a government that wants to support music. this makes it possible for a musician like me, who works with contemporary improvised music, to survive, to be even be able to buy a house. it allows me to experiment. what is this? this is an ice—aphone. the sound is phenomenal. do you like it? that is lovely. any chance i could have a go? very carefully.

i promise you. and i promise i will demonstrate no ability. you may as well have given it to a child. absolutely. it works? this is great! but one of the biggest challenges of putting on this festival is the construction of the venue itself — an ice concert hall. and this professor oversees the construction. he and his students have battled fierce blizzard conditions for six days to create a solid structure.

but each day's work has resulted in disaster. we started with plan a and ended up with plan y. because every day, you know, it is like you're climbing a wall, slippery, and fall back down again. next day you start again. it is frustrating. but that is how it is and that is the challenge. you need to work with the forces, because you can never beat them. when we work with them, you know, it is like having a good friend. it seems like your team is working very, very hard. good luck. we will see how it works out. we just need to finish now. we have some hours left.

so as evening approaches, the finishing touches are fast being made around the site. i really like it because it is kind of the sound of nature. so it doesn't sound like anything else you have ever heard. so people are really surprised when they hear it for the first time. you don't get to practise, so the music gets made on stage in front of the audience, and that is really special. many people are like, what, is this possible? that is pretty cool. i guess there is a lot of folk music in it. it is very nordic, with the ice and the snow and the cold winters. just in the nick of time, all is ready and we gather

for an evening of ice music. cheering and applause. that was amazing. such a bonkers soundscape and incredible to think that all the sounds were made from ice. i think it's also an interesting way to experience the landscape of norway — freezing cold with a full moon overhead. having said that, it is freezing cold. i am frozen through. it's time to head in. morning mood from grieg's peer gynt suite plays. next morning, the festival continues without me as i return to the bergensbanen for the next part of myjourney. travelling on this stretch of the line, you start to appreciate the vast landscapes that this country has to offer. and i cannot imagine a better way

of experiencing them than this. music reaches its crescendo. well, my train‘s arrived at its destination, but my musical journey across norway is not yet finished, because i am in bergen, a cultural hotspot and a great way to experience the rich musical heritage of norway. she plays allegro molto moderato from grieg's concerto in a minor. edvard grieg, possibly norway's most well known and loved classical composer. here in bergen, set among woodland alongside a vast lake, a museum to grieg has preserved

and restored the grounds where he once lived and worked. you can see now we will enter the house and this is the main entrance. this year will be a milestone for the man, as it will be 150 years since he wrote his famous piano concerto. he really was a very much appreciated composer in his lifetime. we know that in great britain for example, he was one of the most popular living composers in his time. the second part of the 19th century was going together with all of this national movement in norway and norway was, by then, a country together with sweden with one king living in sweden, and he found very young and fresh

style and i think that built upon those dance rhythms and folk music elements in his bigger compositions. he looked upon folk songs as something universal. they survive from generation to generation and if you slip through the borders, you can find the same elements in folk music. and some of that folk music that inspired grieg can still be heard today. and one of the best ways to experience it is with dance. dance company frikar performs contemporary dance all the way around norway and beyond that's inspired by nature and traditional norwegian folk roots. they have agreed to come and show me some of the traditional elements found in norway's halling dance.

the dance is mostly sort of a show—off dance. 100 years ago women also did that dance. it is mostly boys or men doing the dance because we want to... we want to impress the other men or women. put your right foot in front of the left. sidewards. believe me, this is harder than it looks. and if you jump a little on each step, one, two. yes. nice. and then around. but i think i am getting hang of it. one, two, one, two. and then we can move down here. no!

so what is the relationship between the dance and the music? maria plays the hardingfele, it's our national instrument. some people say the fiddle, the music came because of the dance and some say it was the other way. i think they depend on each other. for me and for many it is very important to use the music dancing and the music makes me want to do suddenly some steps and everything. it is life. nothing planned, it is just happening. nice! back in the old days they used the ceilings to kick down a coin orjust kick their heels. they kicked the ceiling? the houses were smaller

back in those days. in the 1800s, the military started competitions to try and kick a hat from a stick and it was about who could kick the highest. and then it was incorporated in the halling folk dance. so we do it as a part of the dance and, of course, it must be a good kick and the higher it is, the better it is. everyone in norway, i think if i say halling they say kicking the hat, is sort of topping it. finally, i wanted to get a sense of where all of this is leading.

a former meat factory a short walk from the city centre serves as a gig venue and melting pot for artists of all types in the city. this creative hub is home to the studios of electronic, jazz, hip—hop and many other types of musicians, including royskopp, and it is where much of norway's future music is being thrashed out. these days especially there is some new mixing of old, old traditions with very new electronic and experimental music. kjetil has a studio here and plays saxophone in tonight's gig. tonight, we are playing with a guitar player.

it is electro—acoustic folk, jazz, experimental, ambient something, you know. the bergen scene, i think it has a lot to do with the size of the city. only a few people play every kind of thing so you have to collaborate. ifeel like i have rediscovered this place through its music. it is a country constantly inspired by nature of epic proportions. it treasures its traditions but is not afraid to look forward. where artists are free to experiment and supported as a crucial part of society and where distinctive sounds can be found in the smallest of communities. if the bergensbanen showed me norway's muscle, its music has shown me its heart and soul.

hello, many parts of the country still dealing with snow. it's not so much what is falling from the skies, but what has happened over the last few days that is causing the problem. snow to come today with cold airfeeding in from the

continent. less cold across southern parts of england and wales and that's why we have seen showers working their way across the south of england and wales. fresh snow across parts of northern england and certainly for scotland who have also had freezing rain. icy conditions for the first part of the day, but as we go through the afternoon further snow is expected. and an area of showers will move up to eastern england. it will stay to the east of england, but certainly across parts of essex and kent. showers across wales and look at those temperatures, coming up to seven, eight, nine celsius. the area of rain across east anglia will go out into the north sea before bending back into the cold air with the rain turning to snow again later in the night across eastern areas of scotland.

as we go through the course of monday we have the risk of icy stretches on untreated roles and across rural parts. we will see further showers across wales and south—west england, but by and large the weather becoming drier and brighter across eastern areas with few showers. temperatures up to 11 degrees in london, which is getting closer to normal, but it is still a little cool for most areas. the atlantic remains blocked and this area of low pressure will monitor for the week. the air is still pretty chilly, so there is a risk of snow in the north and scotland. this is bbc news. i'm carrie gracie. the headlines at two: sir roger bannister,

the first athlete to run a mile in less than four minutes, has died at the age of 88. theresa may urges the eu to get on with discussing whart she called an "ambitious but practical" vision for relations after brexit. we've set out what we want. we've set out where we think we could have this ambitious relationship that is good for prosperity on both sides. let's get on with it. work continues to clear snow from roads and railways lines after severe disruption. meanwhile warnings of flooding as strong winds batter the coasts. also this hour, could silvio berlusconi's party be about to make a comeback in italy? anti—immigration and populist parties are